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Manjar blanco
Manjar blanco is a term used to refer to a variety of delicacies in the Spanish-speaking world. In Spain the term refers to blancmange, a European delicacy found in various parts of the continent as well as the United Kingdom. In the Americas (South America primarily) it refers to a sweet, white spread or pastry filling made with milk. This term is sometimes used interchangeably with dulce de leche ( or ) or cajeta in Latin America but these terms generally
refer to delicacies prepared differently from the those just described.
Spain
Manjar blanco in Spain and in other parts of Europe refers to a dessert (blancmange in English), traditionally white in color although often
colored by added ingredients, made with a mould with a consistency like gelatin (in fact modern varieties are often made with gelatin). In the Middle ages the dish was prepared with chicken or fish, rice, sugar, and almond milk or milk and other ingredients
(the dish was probably influenced by the Arab cuisine of Muslim Spain and Muslim Sicily). Today the primary ingredients in Spain tend to be milk, almonds, corn starch or gelatin, and sugar. The variants in Spain are often somewhat different from those in France or the United Kingdom.
South America
This term is used in Peru, Colombia , and Chile. It refers to a set of similar dishes traditionally made by slowly and gently cooking pure (normally non-homogenized) milk to thicken and reduce the volume, and gradually adding sugar. In some regions other ingredients such as vanilla bean, citrus juices, cinnamon, and even rice may also be added. Usually a double boiler of some sort is employed so as to prevent browning of the mixture (which would give it a different flavor). The result is a white or cream-colored, thick spread with a consistency much like that of a thick cake frosting although the flavor is more like that of sweetened cream (with accents of whatever additional ingredients may have been added). The cooking process is largely the same as for creating sweetened condensed milk except that the result is normally thicker.
Although manjar blanco can be used as spread much like jelly or jam is used in the U.S., it is also commonly used as a filling for pastries and cookies such as alfajores and tejas.
Dulce de leche
The Argentine term dulce de leche, the Mexican term cajeta, and the Peruvian term natillas refer to a
somewhat different preparation than that just described. "Manjar blanco" is sometimes used to refer to a dulce de leche, especially in Uruguay. The primary difference is that the mixture is deliberately scalded to bring about caramelization of the sugars in the ingredients. This leads to a fairly dark brown color and a strong flavor. Note that the name manjar blanco refers to white color in Spanish which implies that dulce de leche cannot be properly referred to as manjar blanco. As a practical matter even in countries that have had the traditional (white) manjar blanco as part of their cuisine, dulce de leche is increasingly being used in its place since it is easier to prepare.
See also
Blancmange
Natillas
External links
Blanc-Manger: A Journey Through Time
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Manjar blanco
